Osco expands to meet buoyant product carrier market

The Christening of the 40,000 dwt Osco Sky, at the Uljanik yard in Yugoslavia in August, represented a continuing policy of expansion by the Norwegian company Osco Shipping. The vessel is the first of three sister-ships currently under construction at the yard and, when it went into service, it brought the number in the Osco Carriers pool to 14. Osco Shipping, which runs the pool, is the ship project and operating arm of the Osco Group. The group aim to expand the pool through acquisition of new and second hand tonnage, as well as by encouraging other owners to put their tonnage in the pool. Efficient routines, evolved through operating successive generations of product and chemical tankers, have been incorporated in the design of these new vessels to try to ensure rapid loading, discharge and cleaning and to keep port turnaround to a minimum. The design of the tanks is a compromise between the easy-to-clean design used on the 80,000 dwt Superflex vessels and the standard tank bristling with stiffeners and plates.